Manufacture of various articles from copper or copper alloys.



Patented D8C.'9, 1902. v G. A. RICK. MANUFACTURE OF VARIOUS ARTICLESFROM COPPER AND COPPER ALLCYS.

' (Application filed July 20, 1597.;

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WITN E5512?) in ay-M1 ms ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 9. I902. G. A. DICK."MANUFACTURE OF VARIOUS ARTICLES FROM COPPER AND COPPER ALLUYS.

[Application filed July 20, 1897.}

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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Patented Dec. 9, I902.

- G. A. DICK. v

MANUFACTURE OF VARIOUS ARTICLES FROM COPPER AND COPPER ALLOYS.

:Applicabinn filed July 20, 1887.;

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GEORGE ALEXANDER DICK, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICANBRASS COMPANY, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

MANUFACTURE OF VARIOUS ARTICLES FROM COPPER OR COPPER ALLOYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 715,358, dated December9, 1902.

Application filed July 20, 1897. Serial No. 645,281. (No specimensJ Toall whom it nuty concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ALEXANDER DICK, engineer, a subject of theQueen of Great Britain, residing at No. 110 Cannon street, in the cityof London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inthe Manufacture of Various Articles from Copper or Copper Alloys, ofwhich the following is a specification.

I will now proceed to describe my said invention with reference to theaccompanying drawings and to the letters marked thereon, in which Figure1 is a horizontal section of an apparatus suitable for carrying theinvention into effect. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the girder, mandrel,and die and aperture of the pressure-chamber separately. Fig. 3 is alougitudinal section taken on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an endview of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan representing a modified form ofapparatus. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section representing a furthermodification in the general apparatus, and Fig. 7 is an end view ofamodified form of girder for supporting the mandrel.

In the several figures, in which like parts are indicated by similarletters of reference, Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 7 are drawn to an increasedscale with respect to the other figures of the Y drawings.

The invention relates to the manufacture of hollow bars of varioussections, tubes, and various other articles from copper and such copperalloys as become plastic and malleable at a temperature of about 800 to900 Fahrenheit by squirting, squeezing, or pressing the same while in aplastic condition through a die, in connection with which a mandrel isarranged.

It has before been proposed to manufacture tubes and other articles forthe production of which a mandrel is required by squirting, squeezing,or pressing copper or alloys thereof while in a heated and plastic statethrough a die; but for this purpose a long mandrel passing into the diehas been employed, the said mandrel being either carried by andtraveling with a ram or plunger working within a pressure-chambercontaining the heated metal and employed to exert the necessary forcethereon or fixed outside the pressure chamber and projecting into thedie. This long mandrel (which necessarily became highly heated) owing toits being unsupported at one end and to the great pressure exercised bythe ram during the squirting or squeezing operation was unsteady andwhen carried by the plunger became elongated and drawn out of shape,thus rendering the operation useless for practical purposes. Some ofthese objections applied to the employment of a mandrel fixed outsidethe chamber beyond the die and extending into the latter, in addition towhich in this case the length of tube was necessarily limited to thelength of the mandrel.

Hitherto it has been considered necessary in order to produce a tube orlike article from plastic copper or copper alloys by squirting orsqueezing the same through a die that the mass of copper or alloy actedupon should not be cut or divided or otherwise interrupted in itspassage to the die, but that the metal must be forced directly into thedieand around the mandrel, so that the tube or other article may beproduced uninterruptedly from the homo geneous mass.

Now I have discovered that a body of copper or copper alloys of thenature above stated in a heated and plastic state may be divided in itspassage to thedie, and if the temperature be maintained and airexcluded, so asto prevent the surfaces of the parts becoming oxidized,the two parts of the divided metal will when brought together underpressure unite and form one solid mass without risk of separation at thejoint, and this discovery I utilize in the manufacture of bars, tubes,and other hollow articles in the following way:

In the drawings I have given several examples of apparatus suitable forcarrying my invention into effect, and I will now proceed to describe myinvention in connection therewith.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, a represents a strong frame. 1) represents ahydraulic cylinder. 19 represents the ram. b represents an extension ofthe ram, which I call a plunger. 0 represents a pressure-chamber orcontainer of any suitable well-known construction designed to resist theextreme degree of heat and heavy pressure to which it is subjected inthe operation hereinafter described, and g represents the plastic metalcontained within the pressure-chamber c.

The pressure-chamber or container c,which is open-ended at one endthereof, is provided with a die-holderf, formed with an orifice f,through which the formed tube or the like is forced, and (2* representssuch tube issuing therefrom.

Within the die-holderfis received a die (Z, adapted to impart thedesired form to the issuing tube or the like, while the necessarypressure to force the plastic metal g through the die 01 is obtainedfrom the plunger 6 which works within the pressure-chamber or container0, and the die-holder fand die 61 are held in place by means of separatejaws 72..

Within the pressure-chamber or container c, in connection with the died, is employed a short mandrel e, which is carried by a bridge or girdere, which is supported by the die d, as represented in the drawings, orit might be otherwise supported, as will be readily understood.

The bridge or girder e for the purpose of strength in elevation isshaped to the form of two intersecting arcs of circles, while intransverse section, as shown more particularly in Fig. 3, on its actingface it is beveled, so as to present a sharp or more or less roundededge to the advancing plastic mass of copper or alloy g, while themandrel e is formed or fixed on the rear side thereof or is otherwisearranged in connection with the rear or thickened side of the bridge orgirder e and extends into the opening cl of the die (Z.

The girdere may with advantage be formed at the extreme points e of itsbase to enter into corresponding notches or recesses 61*, formed in thedie d, or it may be formed to the arc of the interior of the die-holderf or of the pressure-chamber c or otherwise arranged so that when it isplaced in position it will at once centralize itself and the mandrel ewith relation to the die 01.

A body of metal g in a sufficiently-heated state placed within thepressure-chamber or container 0 and forced forward by the plunger orpiston 19 will on meeting the sharp edge 6 of the girder 6 becomedivided into two parts, and upon entering the die (1, which is formedwith a beveled, flared, or rounded mouth 61' to facilitate the entrythereof, the two parts will be pressed around the man'- drel e and thefreshly-divided surfaces of the plastic metal 9 will be brought togetherunder great pressure, and will thereby be caused to be firmly weldedtogether or united in such manner that it will be difficult orimpossible to discover the point of junction in the finished article.

It will be understood that the copper or alloyg must be maintained inthe required plastic condition until the parts have united in the mannerhereinbefore described.

The surfaces of the divided mass of plastic copper or alloy g Whileseparated by the bridge or girder e are in close contact therewith andare more or less protected from atmospheric influence, while immediatelythat they pass beyond the bridge or girder 6 they are forced closelyaround the mandrel e and together by the peculiar formation of the mouthd of the die (1, while the advancing metal closely fills the die aroundthe mandrel e, and thereby completely excludes atmospheric air, and asafter the first entry of the metal into the die the divided parts arenot exposed to atmospheric influence no oxidation of the surfacesthereof can take'place to interfere with the successful uniting thereof.

In the example given at Fig. 5 the arrangement of the die and girder eand mandrel e is substantially the same as that lastly hereinbeforedescribed; but in this case instead of the pressure-chamber or container0 being held stationary while the plunger or piston b advances into thesame the pressure-chamber or container 0 is mounted with capability ofsliding upon the frame 66, the plunger or piston b is stationary, andthe container or pressure chamber 0 is by a link 0 connected with thehydraulic ram 1), the action of which is in the reverse direction tothat represented in Fig. 1; but in other respects the action of thedevice is substantially the same as that hereinbefore described.

In the example given at Fig. 6 instead of forming an opening 0 at theend of the pressure-chamber or container 0 such end thereof is closedand the die 61 and girder e and mandrel e are carried by the end of theplunger b and the plunger 1) and ram b are in this case formed with ahollow b* therethrough to allow of the passage of the tube or otherarticle formed by the die in the advance of the plunger 12 In theexample given at' Fig. 7 the girder e instead of being formed in onespan is provided with three arms radiating from the mandrel e, or itmight be otherwise formed.

By the means hereinbefore described tubes or the like of copper orcopper alloys may be produced rapidly, accurately, and economically, andthe length thereof is merely governed by the quantity of plastic metalwithin the container or pressure-chamber 0, while inasmuch as theprocess is effected under great pressure it is possible to manufacturetubes or the like of great strength and without any perceptible joint inthe finished tube.

I am aware that apparatus similar to that hereinbefore described hasbeen employed in the manufacture of pipes from lead, and I wouldtherefore have it understood that I make no claim to such apparatus,Which is herein shown and described merely as a con venient means forcarrying my invention into effect.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is- 1. The process of making hollow bars,tubes IIO ' heavypressure, so that they may again unite.

2. The herein-described process of manufacturing tubes or other hollowor tubular articles of copper or copper alloys, consisting in heatingthe copper or copper alloy to a temperature less than the melting-pointsubstantially as specified and such as I have ascertained and discoveredwill permit a body of such material to be cut and reunited, if notexposed toioxidation, into a continuous and homogeneous mass; and thenforcing the heated and plastic material from a pressurechamber around ashort mandrel through a die, cutting or dividing the metal during itspassage to or into the die, protecting the cut surfaces from contactwith the air to prevent oxidation, and bringing such surfaces togelheragain While so protected, in the die, with the temperature maintained,and under heavy pressure, sothat they may again unite to form ahomogeneous and seamless tube or other hollow article, substantially inthe mannel set forth.

GEORGE ALEXANDER DICK. W'itnesses:

GEO. E. VAUGHAN, ALFRED GERALD Focus,

